Chapter 94: Yan Butgui's Self-Punishment

"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Rong asked, seeing Li Qiang looking worried.

"Nothing," Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Nothing, I called you several times and you didn't react?" Zhou Rong stared at Li Qiang and asked.

"I was just thinking about something, by the way, I won't be eating at home tonight, Liu Haizhong wants to treat me to drinks tonight."

"Why would he invite you for drinks for no reason?" Zhou Rong frowned and asked.

"He's not just become the deputy head of the Workers' Inspection Team, is he? He said he wants to treat me to drinks and have me share my experiences as an official," Li Qiang said with a smile.

"That deputy head of his is just a petty official, nothing but self-importance," Zhou Rong also looked down on Liu Haizhong.

"You don't know what kind of person he is; his biggest wish these years has been to become an official, and now that he's finally got his wish, how could he not be smug?"

"That's true, I just don't understand how he never got a position all these years, yet suddenly he's become the deputy head of the Workers' Inspection Team."

"It's not complicated; he must have given gifts to Li Huaide."

"Then why didn't he give gifts earlier? If he had given them early, he would have gotten the position sooner," Zhou Rong couldn't understand why Liu Haizhong only thought of giving gifts now.

"I really don't know about that," Li Qiang truly didn't know this matter; if he knew Liu Haizhong was giving gifts because his two sons provoked him, he'd probably laugh in his sleep—this family is too interesting.

"Brother Qiang, my father told me to call you over for dinner," Liu Guangtian shouted from outside the door.

"Got it," Li Qiang replied.

"Then drink less," Zhou Rong reminded.

"Got it, and bring that bottle of Fenjiu from the cabinet."

"Isn't he treating you to drinks? Why are you bringing liquor then?" Zhou Rong asked.

"Hey, I'm bringing it for Zhuzhi; this kid beat up Liu Haizhong today, and Liu Haizhong wants to settle the score, so I'm going to plead for him."

"Zhuzhi beat Liu Haizhong? Tell me what happened!" Zhou Rong's curiosity was also piqued by Li Qiang.

"Liu Haizhong was showing off in the factory, Zhuzhi couldn't stand it and said something to him, so he called Zhuzhi 'Silly Zhuzi.' You say how many years it's been since anyone called him Silly Zhuzi, and with Zhuzhi's explosive temper he could hardly take it; originally Zhuzhi looked down on him, so not beating him would be strange," Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Liu Haizhong deserved that beating, not the slightest bit unjust; I'd guess he's just become a petty official and doesn't even know his own surname anymore," Zhou Rong said with a laugh.

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore; if you don't want to cook tonight, take your son to your elder brother's place for a bite."

"Got it, you go on your way."

"Second Uncle, I've come, sorry to put you to expense tonight," Li Qiang arrived at Liu Haizhong's house carrying a bottle of Fenjiu.

"Qiangzi, you really brought liquor," Liu Haizhong said with a smile, feeling that this might be because he became an official; otherwise, how could Li Qiang, a senior section chief and deputy director, possibly come to his house for drinks and bring liquor? If Li Qiang knew what he was thinking, he'd surely say, "You're overthinking it; this is purely courtesy, having nothing to do with whether you're an official or not," and besides, Li Qiang truly didn't care about his deputy head position.

"Second Uncle, they say good liquor is only meaningful when given to someone who understands liquor, don't you think that's right?" Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Not bad, befitting a leader—your words make sense." Liu Haizhong now constantly mentions the word "leader."

"So shall we drink?" Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Let's drink," Liu Haizhong also said.

"Tonight, Second Aunt also put in effort; last night she served Yan Butgui four dishes, three of them meat, and the standard for entertaining Li Qiang will definitely be higher than for Yan Butgui—this is Liu Haizhong's special arrangement."

"Second Aunt tonight stewed a fish, braised chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried pork with cabbage, bought a whole roasted duck, of course scrambled eggs are essential, plus a cold shredded radish dish—six dishes total, five of them meat, the standard is much higher than when entertaining Yan Butgui."

"Second Uncle, you've spread too lavish a feast," Li Qiang said politely, looking at the dishes on the table.

"Ah, you don't come by often; how could I be embarrassed to make it too shabby? It's just home cooking, home cooking," Liu Haizhong said modestly.

"Have you started drinking?" The two were just about to pour when Yan Butgui walked in carrying a bottle of liquor.

"Old Yan, why are you here?" Liu Haizhong saw Yan Butgui's displeased face and asked.

Yan Butgui didn't care whether Liu Haizhong was happy or not; after speaking, he simply found a seat and sat down.

After Li Qiang left, Yan Butgui waited a long time at the main gate for Liu Haizhong, but Liu Haizhong was actually deliberately avoiding Yan Butgui; the night before, Yan Butgui had said he'd come over to keep him company with drinks, but Liu Haizhong didn't agree, fearing Yan Butgui would block him at the gate, so after work he deliberately loafed around the factory, and when he reached the siheyuan gate he didn't rush in, observing for a long time, and only slipped in quietly when Yan Butgui went home.

"Old Liu, what happened to your face? Who hit you?" Yan Butgui looked at Liu Haizhong's still slightly swollen half-face and asked.

"Who would dare hit me? I just bumped the door frame by accident," Liu Haizhong said angrily; this Yan Butgui really has no tact, always bringing up the wrong topic.

"Old Liu, I'm not saying this to criticize you, but at your age you shouldn't act carelessly in the future; you need to be steady," Yan Butgui's wife, San Niang, said in a motherly tone.

"I say, Old Yan, if you don't want to eat, just leave quickly. Don't come here to cause trouble," Liu Haizhong said, truly angry; Yan Butgui is shameless, showing up to mooch a meal and then finding fault with him.

"Don't be angry, it's my fault; I'll punish myself with three cups." Yan Butgui said this and, without waiting for anyone else to speak, he gulped down three cups in succession—bang, bang, bang. Yan Butgui's greatest love besides eating is drinking; usually he drinks bulk liquor, and a jin of bulk liquor diluted with water can last him about half a month. In short, other people's liquor dwindles the more they drink, but his household's liquor increases the more they drink, until finally they can't taste the alcohol anymore—that's when it's considered finished. Now seeing the bottle of Fenjiu on the table, he couldn't care about anything else; if he didn't take a sip first, this bottle wouldn't be enough for three people, so it's safer to drink it himself.

"I say, Old Yan, you're going too far; I and Qiangzi haven't even started drinking, and you've already downed a third of the bottle," Liu Haizhong said, looking at the liquor in the bottle very displeased.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, otherwise I'll punish myself with another cup," Yan Butgui said, thick-skinned.

"No, don't, otherwise we'll have nothing left to drink," Liu Haizhong hurriedly pulled the bottle toward himself.

"Alright, Second Uncle, let's also have a sip," Li Qiang said with a smile.

"The cups Liu Haizhong used tonight are more than a liang each; Yan Butgui lifted them and downed three in a row, and before long the alcohol hit him, his little eyes nearly squinting shut."

"Guangtian, Guangfu, you two take Old Yan home, he's drunk too much," Liu Haizhong said, seeing Yan Butgui's state, feeling utterly annoyed.

"Eh," the two brothers hurriedly got up, supported Yan Butgui, and headed out.

"Third Aunt, we've brought Third Uncle back," the two brothers shouted as they arrived at the Yan family gate.

"You just left; how could it be over so quickly?" Third Aunt asked curiously.

"Where? It's only just begun," Liu Guangtian said.

"How could they get drunk so soon after starting?" Third Aunt asked.

"Hey, don't say that; Third Uncle has been sitting there self-punishing with cup after cup—who could stand that? My dad and Brother Qiang haven't even started drinking, yet he's gone and over-punished himself," Liu Guangtian also said, bewildered by Yan Butgui's bizarre behavior.